# Why is everything so dark? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305 "2019-01-24T01:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/21 "2019-01-24T08:01:06Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Ooh, \*The Magicians \*started up again tonight with season four. You’ve probably watched this one but if you haven’t–well, I envy you that you have quite a treat in store. …the Magicians is light? I had to stop watching because everything was getting way-too-dark. There were scenes that made my skin crawl in the very first episode, and I didn’t even make it to the episode with the [rape scene](https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/magicians-showrunner-defends-brutal-rape-7753965). I’ve seen snippets from later series and it looks lighter in tone: but it really isn’t the first thing I would think of which would be the “opposite of dark.” My pick: The Leftovers. Mild open spoiler warning: it starts dark. Really dark. As in DARK. The logline should explain why it is [dark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leftovers_(TV_series)): > [@The Leftovers overview](#): > > Based on Perrotta’s novel of the same name, the series begins three years after the “Sudden Departure”, a global event that resulted in 2% of the world’s population disappearing, and follows the lives of those who were left behind. The first season is dark and rough to get through: because its dealing with grief and depression (something that the showrunner, Lost’s Damon Lindelof, was dealing with at the time) . But after the first season the tone changes considerably and turns into one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/22 "2019-01-24T10:41:10Z")
If you like sitcoms I suggest Black-ish, The Goldbergs, Brooklyn 99, and Speechless. Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/23 "2019-01-24T10:59:24Z")
Norsemen on Netflix. It’s not exactly ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ light, there’s an occasional beheading, but it’s done in a really lighthearted way. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/24 "2019-01-24T11:53:23Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Norsemen on Netflix. It’s not exactly ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ light, there’s an occasional beheading, but it’s done in a really lighthearted way. Oh hell no. I mean, it’s very funny, but it’s some of the darkest humor I’ve ever seen, and after two episodes decided it wasn’t for me. Too much body horror mixed into the humor. > [@friedo](#): > > Some good, wholesome light-hearted stuff in addition to those already mentioned: > > _The Good Place_ > _Brooklyn Nine Nine_ > _Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt_ These, however, are all solid light comedies. I like the first two best, and strongly, strongly recommend them. One that hasn’t been mentioned: **Crazy Ex-Girlfriend**. I was put off by the name for awhile, but it’s by the genius behind [Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwijxPnDrYbgAhWvct8KHfY1BaoQyCkwAHoECAkQBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3De1IxOS4VzKM&usg=AOvVaw1fHi5Nif4DjAEVQPT6u9rE), and it’s witty and hilarious. And one final recommendation: Galavant, a medieval musical comedy. Super goofy, super hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/25 "2019-01-24T11:56:33Z")
_The Good Place_ is not only upbeat, but it also deals with serious philosophical issues in a light-hearted manner: most importantly, how we can become better people. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/26 "2019-01-24T12:17:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve found that I just don’t enjoy shows or movies in which everyone is a terrible person, and / or in which horrible things just keep happening to people. > [@](#): > > As for why; too many people in the creative arts think that only dark and depressing is “True Art”. And they are so caught up on the idea of avoiding “cliches” about noble heroes and happy endings that they don’t seem able to realize that failure, darkness and cripplingly flawed protagonists are the cliche now. So much both of these for me. Shows automatically get shit on if the good guy almost always wins without terrible loss of life or treating all their supporting characters poorly (controlling of their kids, etc.) and don’t torture their enemies. I’m not looking for sitcoms, either, which makes it more difficult. I want a show that takes itself seriously, but still has humor and has awesome heroes who save the day. Not so much a thing, it seems. Didn’t know there was a new She-Ra - nostalgia might make me check it out. I’m the right bracket to have loved the first and even liked He-Man 2002 series (never been afraid to watch a cartoon, what can I say). Just so long as it is not a parody and doens’t make the supporting characters buffoons (a problem with comedy relief characters in older children’s programming when rewatching as an adult). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/27 "2019-01-24T12:44:05Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _The Good Place_ is not only upbeat, but it also deals with serious philosophical issues in a light-hearted manner: most importantly, how we can become better people. Yeah, I gotta back this up. The Good Place might well be in the top 10 of sitcoms of all time. In terms of writing and execution it’s up there with The Dick van Dyke show and All in the Family. It deals with heavy issues with a serious but light-hearted touch and throws in small moments of real humor. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/28 "2019-01-24T12:53:05Z")
I’ll throw in a recommend for Death in Paradise as well. Standard murder mystery fare, but it’s set on a fictional caribbean island, and the whole vibe of the show is governed by that. By the end of a show, the mystery is solved, they’re at the local bar for a few cold ones, and it’s not because they’re all sad alcoholics trying to drown their sorrows. I also just started watching Dead Like Me. It’s not a comedy, but has comedic moments. It’s about death, surprisingly enough, but it’s not really grim about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/29 "2019-01-24T12:57:33Z")
I find it interesting to look at the [list of top movies](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/). Plenty of escapism, but few light movies and absolutely no romance. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/30 "2019-01-24T13:01:09Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Yeah, I gotta back this up. The Good Place might well be in the top 10 of sitcoms of all time. In terms of writing and execution it’s up there with The Dick van Dyke show and All in the Family. It deals with heavy issues with a serious but light-hearted touch and throws in small moments of real humor. I love The Good Place. I’m not talking about comedies. I would expect at least some lightness in comedies. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/31 "2019-01-24T13:04:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > _Mad Men_ (which they they think I’d love because I work in advertising). I’ve found that I just don’t enjoy shows or movies in which everyone is a terrible person, and / or in which horrible things just keep happening to people. I really wouldn’t put _Mad Men_ in that category. Its characters are human, imperfect but still relatable. There’s also ample comic relief and brightly-lit, colorful, creatively designed mid-century period sets. (The way a show is lit is very important to whether or not I will be willing to spend my time watching it - I come from a background of still photography and I cannot abide overly dark, or egregiously unrealistic, lighting. The last season of _Handmaid’s Tale_ was misery for me because of the unrelenting black void that was every single scene. At least _Black Mirror_, for all its bleakness, has good lighting design.) ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/32 "2019-01-24T13:06:14Z")
You guys are terrible at this. The good place? The show about dead souls trying to escape some weird afterlife? Brooklyn Nine- Nine? The sitcom about homicide detectives joking around corpses all day and suffering from corrupt and useless higher ups? Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? You all realize it’s about a girl who tries to overcome having been kidnapped and sexually abused for years, do you? You couldn’t have picked darker stuff if you tried to. What’s next? _“Hey, have you tried True Detective? It’s a great Whodunit!” “How about Breaking Bad? It’s about a man overcoming difficulties and becoming highly successful in his chosen field!”_ Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/33 "2019-01-24T14:17:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I do watch Orville. “The Orville” and its flat, bright lighting are a fascinating contrast to other sci fi and adventure shows. “Star Trek Discovery” looks like someone forgot to turn on all the lights. Obviously, the lighting choices on “The Orville” are deliberate; it is meant to look like the original and Next Generation Star Treks, and other classic sci-fi, and quite deliberately meant to NOT look like newer shows. I mean, either way is fine, depending what you like, but it’s not an accident. What occurs to me just now, though, is that if you think about it, the lighting on “The Orville” is, in a sense, more realistic. (Realism is not what they’re going for, it’s just a happy accident.) Let’s suppose that in the future, we really do have interstellar vessels zipping around for really long periods of time in deep space, crewed by human or largely human crews. \*\* Of COURSE they would have bright interior lighting.\*\* People become depressed and their health declines if they don’t get enough light when they’re awake. If you are asking people to travel around in a ship, even a big ship, for a very long period of time, they need a lot of light. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/34 "2019-01-24T14:56:24Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I love The Good Place. I’m not talking about comedies. I would expect at least some lightness in comedies. In that case, I’d second ‘Legends of Tomorrow’. Hour long superhero show…but one willing to lean in deep to how ridiculous the entire concept is. There’s real cost to things and some real suspense and bad things can happen. But it’s also got a lighter tone and it’s surprisingly well-written. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/35 "2019-01-24T14:59:51Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > I really wouldn’t put _Mad Men_ in that category. Its characters are human, imperfect but still relatable. YMMV, of course. I made it most of the way through the first season, and it just struck me how truly unlikable almost all of the characters were. I fully acknowledge that the writing, acting, and production of it were all top-notch; I just found it painful to continue to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/36 "2019-01-24T15:18:49Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’ve been of the persuasion for years that this is a major reason why \*MLP: Friendship is Magic \*acquired such a large following of adult males; it was something that _wasn’t_ dark and depressing. > > As for why; too many people in the creative arts think that only dark and depressing is “True Art”. And they are so caught up on the idea of avoiding “cliches” about noble heroes and happy endings that they don’t seem able to realize that failure, darkness and cripplingly flawed protagonists _are_ the cliche now. > > And TV shows are usually written by multiple people which makes it worse; I recall a comment from an author years ago that whenever enough writers collaborate on something there’s always going to be at least one who thinks everything has to be dark and depressing, and they’ll drag everyone else down with them. Once somebody writes an episode where awful things happen, the other writers will have to deal with the aftermath rather than write something cheery. This, and what \*\*SpoilerVirgin \*\*said as well. Too many critics these days think that dark and gloomy = “sophisticated, deep, adult and complex” while happy or upbeat = “shallow, trite, cliche, for-kids.” ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/37 "2019-01-24T15:19:46Z")
As for the “why” it’s all so dark, it’s because that makes for immediately compelling story lines. Audiences will quickly create an emotional connection when there’s death, destruction, pain, conflict, etc. and be more likely to continue with the show. If instead the show has more soft plots and conflicts, the audience takes more time to build a connection and get emotionally invested. With a dark show, the audience is typically tuning in to find out what will happen in the plot. In the softer shows, the audience is tuning in because they have an emotional connection to the characters. I also agree that too many shows are dark. While I enjoy those kinds of shows, it gets a little dreary after a while. One non-dark compelling show is [Friday Night Lights](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758745/). It’s a serious show, but it’s more about the emotional relationships of the people rather than major plot points. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/38 "2019-01-24T15:22:24Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …the Magicians is light? I had to stop watching because everything was getting way-too-dark. There were scenes that made my skin crawl in the very first episode, and I didn’t even make it to the episode with the [rape scene](https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/magicians-showrunner-defends-brutal-rape-7753965). I’ve seen snippets from later series and it looks lighter in tone: but it really isn’t the first thing I would think of which would be the “opposite of dark.” Let me put it this way: The third season began with them receiving a quest from the Great Cock (and a magnificent creature he was, too). After many misadventures, the penultimate solution required them to come together to sing [Under Pressure](https://youtu.be/UyK3FyvXcGA). The stakes are high and there are many Bad Things that happen, death and dismemberment and worse, but that makes the Good Things so much better and the Ridiculous Things that much more ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/39 "2019-01-24T15:41:04Z")
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is a good mix of lighthearted and serious, I thought. My wife and I have been amused by “The Kids are Alright”, which is a sitcom set in the early 1970s about a family with 5 boys between about 7 and 18. It’s definitely in the light-hearted category. And as much as a lot of you will gag, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon definitely falls into this category w.r.t. current events and politics. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305/40 "2019-01-24T16:12:32Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > In that case, I’d second ‘Legends of Tomorrow’. Hour long superhero show…but one willing to lean in deep to how ridiculous the entire concept is. There’s real cost to things and some real suspense and bad things can happen. But it’s also got a lighter tone and it’s surprisingly well-written. I do watch The CW shows but I fell behind so I have to wait until the next seasons come out on Netflix > [@filmore](#): > > As for the “why” it’s all so dark, it’s because that makes for immediately compelling story lines. Audiences will quickly create an emotional connection when there’s death, destruction, pain, conflict, etc. and be more likely to continue with the show. If instead the show has more soft plots and conflicts, the audience takes more time to build a connection and get emotionally invested. With a dark show, the audience is typically tuning in to find out what will happen in the plot. In the softer shows, the audience is tuning in because they have an emotional connection to the characters. > > I also agree that too many shows are dark. While I enjoy those kinds of shows, it gets a little dreary after a while. One non-dark compelling show is [Friday Night Lights](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758745/). It’s a serious show, but it’s more about the emotional relationships of the people rather than major plot points. If I haven’t made it clear I don’t mind dark. But there has to be a balance. You have to give the good guys a win every now and then. Or maybe just inject a little humor here and there. I think Supernatural strikes that balance pretty well most seasons (didn’t watch the last one). Horrific things happen to them along the way. Things often seem hopeless. But in between they would throw in a monster of the week story to step away from the dark and depressing main storyline and give them a win. I’ve also laughed with that show more than most comedies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-dark/828305.md?page=3)